Tag: Beauty

Yeah…. I’m not a very consistent blogger. I get distracted easily and I kinda forgot this blog existed for over a year. My bad. Anyways, new post!

Colourpop is a brand that even though I was vaguely aware of I didn’t really become acquainted with until recently and I fell in love, but that’s another post. This post is about Colourpop’s new sister brand of skincare, Fourth Ray.

I purchased all these products with my own cash money because I wanted to try them. I was not compensated for this review in any way, shape or form!

I’m a sucker for skincare, I’m always trying to find THE ONE. I’ve gotten close with a few products but holy hell the cost makes the wallet weep. When I saw Colourpop post about Fourth Ray I had to pop in for a look. My first impressions were a little meh. The products are fairly generic, nothing wild or crazy with the exception of the whole quartz angle. Personally, the quartz stuff doesn’t really matter to me. There’s only one line of products so if it doesn’t work with your skin type you are out of luck. But, on the upside, because the products are your usual lineup of cleanser, toner, light moisturizer they aren’t exactly going to rock the boat like say a serum. And then, there’s the price point, which is fantastic. The low price point and the fact that none of the products had Vitamin E made me roll the dice on a the full set minus the trendy accessories they also sell. Though, that cat headband was pretty cute.

Before I get to my first impressions let me give you a run down on my skin type. I have combination skin. Dry as the Tanaris desert on my cheeks and oily like the Lakkari Tar Pits on my T-Zone. I’m pushing 40 but I still experience hormonal breakouts which make me rage like the teenager those breakouts should have stayed on. I also have super sensitive skin. I am allergic to vitamin E and ultra sensitive to collagen. I also have mild rosacea on my cheeks.

BFD – Cleansing Oil $14 for 4.15 fl. oz.{currently using Trader Joe’s Micellar Wipes $3.99 for 20 wipes, Marcelle Micellar Water $17 for 13.5 fl. oz., and Sephora Collection Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover $11 for 4.2 fl. Oz.}
BFD is gunning to be a dupe to Tatcha’s obscenely priced Camellia Cleansing Oil which retails for $48 for 5.1 fl. oz. BFD even has camellia in it. I’ve tried three samples of Tatcha and it is effective but it’s always irritated my eyes so I was excited to try BFD. I wore a full face of makeup to test the powers of BFD. And, for the most part, it did an admirable job. I was able to take off all of my foundation and face makeup but struggled to get my waterproof eyeliner off. In fairness though, I struggle with it every single time I wear it. I usually end up using every makeup remover in my arsenal to get it off. BFD also struggled a bit with the rest of my eye makeup, especially lower eye makeup it couldn’t reach well, and my staining liquid lipstick. If you don’t wear a ton of eye makeup this cleansing oil will work a treat to take off most of your makeup and will do it gently. I was pretty impressed. BFD worked as well as Tatcha has for me at a fraction of the cost. Win.TL;DR: No fragrance. Oily consistency that emulsifies with water. Removed everything but waterproof eyeliner, some of my eyeshadow and some of my liquid lipstick. Kinda irritated my eyes. Excellent value!

AM to the PM – Gel Cleanser $12 for 5.8 fl. oz.{currently using whatever I have on hand}
I honestly don’t care what cleanser I use. As long as it takes off the remains of the day I’m happy enough. I rarely buy cleansers because I have a billion sample bottles of cleansers that I just cycle through. I feel like most cleansers don’t make a huge difference in my skin to spend much on them. That said, this cleanser works great and I liked it enough that I’d likely repurchase it. There’s a ton of product in here and I only needed 1 pump on my Foreo Luna to lather up enough for my whole face. It’s going to last me forever. Every time I’ve used this I’ve been pleased with how clean it rinses. My skin is left feeling clean but not tight and itchy.TL;DR: Smells like cucumber. Gel like consistency. Lathers up like a dream, 1 pump was all that was needed with a Foreo Luna. Rinsed clean. Didn’t leave my skin feeling dried out. Good value!

Keep Clear – Clarifying Tonic $10 for 4.15 fl. oz.{currently don’t use an analogous product}
I generally don’t use toners because the only effect I usually see, if I see any at all, is skin that feels itchy and tight. First off, this product stinks. It’s a mix of eucalyptus and witch hazel and has this sharpness to it that I found off putting. Luckily it dissipates super fast and didn’t linger. Honestly, this product did nothing for me. I felt some tingling but that was it. My skin also felt dry after using and felt like it was dying for lotion. Definitely a fail but I’ve yet to find a toner that does anything beneficial for my skin.TL;DR: Kinda stinks but dissipates quickly. Skin felt tingly and dry after use. If toners are your thing, you may want to give it a try, otherwise it’s a big ol’ pass for me.

The Lightweight – Hydrator $12 for 2 fl. oz.{currently using Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream $29.50 for 1.7 oz.}
This lotion is what got me interested in Fourth Ray. The Lightweight contains Squalene which my current fave Kiehl’s has as well. First impressions, wow this lotion is very thin and runny. Not a great start. But, it was also fragrance free which is awesome. My first use of the lotion was after applying Sunday Riley U.F.O. and even with the oil already on my skin I had to use a ton of the lotion to feel hydrated. My second application was on a freshly washed face and it was the same thing, it took 5 pumps to really get a hydrated feeling into my skin. The lotion sinks in pretty well but I did have a bit of a shiny glow going on afterward. I was very pleased to see it didn’t bother my sensitive skin. So, yeah, The Lightweight lives up to it’s name, it’s incredibly light. For dry skin users, I think this is a great morning lotion to use before makeup because it’s so light that it won’t make your foundation slip off your face. But it’s not going to cut the mustard in the PM.TL;DR: Runny and thin consistency. No fragrance. Not hydrating enough for very dry skin. Would work great under makeup because it is so light. Good value IF you want a light lotion.

Later Hater – Spot Treatment $12 for 1 fl. oz.{currently using Sunday Riley U.F.O. $80 for 1.18 oz or Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel $18 for 0.3 fl. oz.}
I get hormonal acne on my chin and nothing really helps it tbh. Sunday Riley U.F.O. helps the breakouts be a little less aggressive but doesn’t actually make them go away. Origins Super Spot Remover dries out blemishes but also leaves a flaky hellscape in it’s wake. From the appearance and ingredients, this is clearly a dupe for Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion which costs $17 for 1 oz. I’ve tried this on several small blemishes and results were hit and miss. Some were gone by the next morning but others were totally unchanged. All the spots treated were a little flaky but nothing crazy. The jury is still out.TL;DR: Mario Badescu Drying Lotion dupe. Stinky. Inconsistent results. Less expensive than the original so worth a shot.

Overall, I feel like Fourth Ray is worth a look and possible addition to your skincare routine. If you don’t already have a basic routine going this is a pretty good place to start. I’m not a packaging snob by any means but the whole line has a very attractive and minimalist look that I found pleasing. It would look nice sitting on the counter if you’re into that. The bottles are thick and and when I accidentally dropped one it survived. The pumps are all easy to press and worked well. I’m not going to pretend to know the first thing about skincare ingredients but none of the products irritated my skin. The whole quartz thing feels like it’s there to be trendy but doesn’t actually do much. I didn’t feel like washing my face balanced my energy or put me in harmony with the world sadly. Your mileage my vary however. The line was hit and miss for me. I loved AM to the PM gel cleanser and can totally see myself repurchasing it in the future. I liked BFD cleansing oil and The Lightweight lotion and I can see myself using those up and perhaps repurchasing. I was not sold on Later Hater or Keep Clear but I’ll use them some more to decide one way or the other. So there you have it, my unbiased opinions!

So my love of beauty and makeup products continues to be foiled by a little ingredient called tocopheryl acetate. You are likely more familiar with it’s more commonly used name, Vitamin E. Back when I was a kid I found out I was highly allergic to the stuff. My mom had bought a bottle of those little vitamin E caplets for my sister to use to help soften a scar she had. We’d all heard how wonderful vitamin E is for all things skin related so I figured if it helped with scars I bet it would help make my skin softer. So I broke open a caplet and spread that stuff ALL over my face. Next morning my skin was covered in red, angry hives. All from the vitamin E. Needless to say, I’ve tried to be diligent about ingredient checking since then. Unfortunately, vitamin E is in EVERYTHING. From cereals to nail creams, it’s been a struggle to find products without it. Vitamin E is one of those things that is heralded as a miracle ingredient and then included in everything. Over the years, I’ve come to learn that not all vitamin E is created equal. Many ingredients, like almond oil, are naturally high in vitamin E and I’ve typically been able to tolerate those products. And recently I used a face product that had tocopherol instead of tocopheryl acetate in it and was also able to tolerate it. So, in my entirely non scientific study of a sample size of one, synthetic vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate) is what causes my allergic reactions.

Something I’ve wanted to do for a while is compile a list of products that either do not included tocopheryl acetate or happen to be one of the few products that didn’t irritate my skin. And I plan to do that here! Rejoice fellow vitamin E allergic friends!